2018 Civil Servant Pay Raise Announced

In all likelihood, given past adjustments, the SF Bay Area total pay increase will be closer to 2.5% (1.4% COLA and 1.1% Locality). However, employees at GS15/5 or higher will only receive the 1.4% COLA due to the salary cap law.

“President Donald Trump is exercising his authority to give federal civilian employees and uniformed service members a pay raise effective Jan. 1, 2018. Most civilian federal employees will receive an average raise of 1.4 percent, with an additional 0.5 percent adjusted in locality pay for a total of a 1.9 percent.

‘I have determined that for 2018, across-the-board pay increases will be 1.4 percent and locality pay increases will average 0.5 percent, resulting in an overall average increase of 1.9 percent for civilian federal employees,’ Trump wrote in a letter to congressional leaders. ‘I will specify locality pay percentages for each locality pay area by executive order before the first pay period in January 2018. These decisions will not materially affect our ability to attract and retain a well-qualified federal workforce.’”